How Developers Balance Speed and Quality

Performance Testing

Performance testing and DevOps complement each other and make the overall performance testing process much easier. When performance testing is an integrated part of the continuous-delivery workflow neither speed nor quality are compromised. Automating performance testing in the pipeline is critical, as automated testing ensures consistency in how and when a test is performed. Once the validity of a given test is established, automating it provides a defined benchmark of how the test is run on a regular basis. The steps of the test aren't subject to interpretation by individual testers, and are conducted with the same timings and inputs throughout. Automated testing is especially important in the DevOps pipeline because once a test is established, it will continuously run – it does not need to be set up again and again, making it ideal when running multiple tests at a time.

When implementing new technology, there is often the expectation that the faster new innovations can be released, the better. Today's modern DevOps teams look for additional ways to automate and streamline the development process, in light of the rising pressure to innovate at a faster pace.

But oftentimes, speed comes at a price. New capabilities are not always bug-free the first time, which means taking the time to step back and make sure that the quality of the finished product is of a standard acceptable to your user base.

So how does a developer balance the pressure for speed with the need to ensure quality? There are multiple tactics and processes that go into ensuring that an application can work seamlessly, or handle a certain spike in usage or traffic pattern. With the help of the performance testing experts at BlazeMeter, we share common best practices for striking an appropriate balance to ensure that speed and quality is not an either/or choice.